Forest Management as a Prevention Tool
In recent years, forest management has become crucial in the Iberian Peninsula, where fires in Mediterranean forests have become increasingly frequent. Sector experts warn that clearing, far from being a destructive act, is an essential preventive measure to avoid environmental disasters.
Anton Vallvey, a forest engineer from Boscat and vice president of the Associació Forestal de les Comarques de Tarragona, explains that clearing focuses on the shrub layer of the forest, which can easily become fuel for fire. This practice aims to reduce the shrub mass without compromising key species of the ecosystem, maintaining approximately 30% of the shrub plants, including those protected like the palmito or holly.
Interventions are carried out especially along road margins and forest paths, where many fires often originate. For this, protection strips are established that range from 25 to 30 meters on both sides of these routes. “Everything we do is included in fire prevention plans to ensure minimal environmental impact,” Vallvey assures.
Despite fears of harming biodiversity through these practices, Albert Puigvert, a biologist and manager of ARCA (Associació d’Iniciatives Rurals i Marítimes de Catalunya), argues that opening spaces within the forest can benefit certain animal species like eagles and roe deer. Moreover, this reduction in shrub mass improves conditions for trees to absorb water adequately.
Experts agree that the key lies in how these actions are carried out. Puigvert emphasizes the need to balance forest management with the maintenance of biodiversity and fire prevention. The recovery of traditional practices like silvopasture could be fundamental; by keeping herds in cleared areas, dependence on heavy machinery is significantly reduced.
“If proper maintenance is done with herds, the need for mechanical methods is much lower,” Puigvert states.
Despite the consensus on the benefits of controlled clearing, both Vallvey and Puigvert warn about deficient forest management characterized by scarce economic resources and outdated criteria. “There is deficient forest management with a low budget and outdated criteria,” Vallvey denounces.
Both experts emphasize that Mediterranean forests are not virgin ecosystems; they have been shaped by centuries of human activity. “We are not in the Amazon; we are in the Mediterranean,” Puigvert concludes. In this context marked by climate change and progressive agricultural abandonment, it is vital to find a balanced approach between human intervention and environmental conservation.
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